How do you market the potential health benefits of a product?

I was speaking to a potential client the other day about their product. Without giving away the details it is a product that can offer a healthier alternative to a product line currently on the market. Think of this as diet soda to soda with sugar.

Now the issue is that the health benefits are not medical ones. We do not lower cholesterol or improve your heart rate. This is simply a better way to live your life and offers a number of benefits when compared to the alternatives. This is what makes it such a challenge because the marketing of this product needs to be forceful enough to capture the attention of the audience while not stepping on any of the myriad of land mines that exist.

What I have recommended and would recommend in this case is that the client pursue a policy that stresses the unique benefits of the product. Don't simply market it as product X with these benefits but instead stand up and claim that this product stands out in the market place because it can offer you the following benefits that no other product can. Be brave, be bold and stand apart from the crowd.

As for the health benefits themselves, they should really not be the focus of a non-medical product. They can be a secondary element of the marketing strategy, but the focus should be on what unique benefits the product brings to the market. If the health benefits are one then fine, but health benefits are so transitory that one needs to be careful and remember the graveyard of all health fads when going down this route. Instead focus on the tangible product advantages.

I did watch the all-star game yesterday and was sad to see Tim Wakefield not make it into the game. Supposedly he was there to eat up innings if the game went into extra innings but after waiting so long it would have been nice to see him pitch one inning.

The weather was so nice yesterday that I took a long lunch and went to Sullivan's in Boston for lunch and ate what had to be the sweetest clam strips ever made! God they were great!

Well back to work and I have a few other online discussions with potential clients which should prove interesting.

Thoughts on how the weather teaches us about marketing

Like a great number of my fellow Northeastern U.S. citizens, I am living through the summer that never was. Aside from one nice weekend last week around July 4th, we have been in nothing but cold dark and miserable weather. There have been either all day long showers and drizzle or horrific thunderstorms neither of which are fun.

I can't help but think of all the people who run seasonal resorts in Maine or Cape Cod. Unlike those in the mountains, who have the ski season to fall back on, the resorts in Maine and on the cape rely on the summer for the bulk of their revenue. What has to make this even worse is that with the economy the way it is, they certainly do not need another weight on their shoulders to make their lives even more difficult.

The point here is that sometimes you can have a great marketing plan in place and be ready to go to market and events out of your control will then intrude and make lemons of your lemonade. Does this mean your plan was bad no, nor does it mean that you failed by not having a plan B. There is no plan B when it comes to an act of nature. Rather what needs to be done is you need to have an emergency plan where you can pull back a bit and then when the environment returns to a more agreeable setting, you are ready to seize back the initiative.

I remember reading a history of the Boer War fought, at the turn of the century between the Boer's a Dutch colonial group who colonized today's South Africa, and the British. The Boer commanders gave one order to their troops and it was save your resources and fight the battle's you can win. That way you win the war. That is true when dealing with attempting to market against the unknown element that is mother nature. You plan your marketing, but have a reserve group in place to act when and if your first plan is not able to be used.

In my other favorite news, I was so happy to see that Tim Wakefield proved he is an All-Star last night. 8 strikeouts is in my opinion a perfect cap to being named to his first All-Star team. Also, speaking of the weather, we had a monsoon here yesterday for the second straight day. I thought New England was a temperate climate, not a tropical one? Oh well it is fun and cool to watch.

Well work will not wait. Some writing to do and then an errand in Newton. I hope the hot dog guy is there with his cart in Wellesley Hills. Yum!

What a gorgeous weekend

I am hard pressed to remember a 4th of July or any other holiday weekend when there was such an absolutely perfect stretch of weather. Sitting outside yesterday and reading was an absolute joy and it made me realize just how much I missed the sun during the month of June. The sun felt so absolutely divine that I was so sorry to see it set at night. The best part of all I think was that in atypical New England fashion, we did not jump from winter right into summer. No this glorious interlude helped us relax and break ourselves into the routine and it was fantastic!

Now being the sports nut that I am and the devoted Red Sox fan, I have to say that while I was thrilled with all the Red Sox who made the American League All Star team, the inclusion of Tim Wakefield was in my mind the perfect cherry on top of the sundae that was the week that just passed. Wakefield has pitched in the bigs for 17 years and never made the All-Star game and not only does he deserve the trip to St. Louis this year but I think it is long over due. In this era where you have to do only one thing as a pitcher and nothing more, Wakefield has done everything the Red Sox ever asked him to do! Great job Wake!

I was fascinated by Sarah Palin quitting as Alaska governor. According to an interview I saw with a Vanity Fair writer, Palin did a very poor job in the McCain campaign and made very few friends and admirers among national Republican parties. Personally I thought she was a long shot if she ran in 2012 and I think this action killed any shot she ever had. And let's not forget that she has a number of ethical clouds hanging over her and there were strong doubts that she would be re-elected to serve another term in 2010 in Alaska.

I have to also say how horrified I am over the 8 people killed in traffic accidents on the 4th of July. By and large they included two things, alcohol and speed/not wearing seat belts. There are two things I think of when I see drunk driving accidents. First, if the driver survives, and they usually do, and is drunk then they have committed murder just as if they put a gun to the person's head and pulled the trigger. Send them to prison for life and you will see less DUI. Second, if you test over the limit you lose your licence to you finish your trial. Currently in Massachusetts its 30 days. Third, we need the auto manufacturers to construct a system that will not turn over the ignition unless the seat belt is engaged. The technology is there why isn't it being used? Just like the technology to have anti-lock breaks and air bags. Make it mandatory!

Well today is a hard day for people because we're all back to work so enjoy the nice weather!